Culture

A professional photographer explains what you're doing wrong on Instagram

Most of us know a good Instagram feed when we see one. Even if we have absolutely no background in art (hello), we notice something satisfying — a cohesive color palette, good composition, a pleasant variety of subject matter.

But we also notice when something's a little off. Maybe, for example, your photos often end up crooked or a oversaturated. Maybe your concert shots are always a little fuzzy. Maybe you can't put your finger on what's wrong at all. Never fear! We asked Alexa Jade, a lifestyle and portrait photographer based in Portland, what's preventing our feeds — and yours — from achieving the elusive X factor.

You haven't chosen a theme.

Since it's your own Instagram and you answer to no one but yourself in this cruel world, you don't have to go for a cohesive feed if you don't want to. But if you do want to, it's important to decide what kind of vibe you want. "If your feed feels too inconsistent, it can be hard for your followers to keep up," Jade says. "For example, if you post someone's new headshot and then post your dinner from last night, it can be confusing, especially if a follower doesn't know you in real life."

Jade recommends sticking with a theme and a consistent color scheme. If you want your account to be noticed for professional reasons, she also recommends evaluating how much personal material you want to share. "If it feels too out of place with the rest of your images, it might be better as an Instagram story," she says. "Unless you're Justin Bieber or Beyoncé, let's be real."

'If it feels too out of place, it might be better as an Instagram story.'

She also suggests that if you want to play around with borders and unorthodox image sizing, do so consistently. "I’ve personally played around with [varying image sizes] here and there, but if you’re constantly switching, it can start to look a little messy," she says.

You're not filtering to your full potential.

No preset Instagram filter is one size fits all. Clarendon, for example, is widely cited as a great filter for sunsets because it intensifies both shadows and highlights, but it might not look as natural on images taken indoors.

Jade doesn't use Instagram filters on her own feed, but she does have a favorite. "I would say Ludwig seems like the cleanest filter," she explains. As for the worst? Nashville.

If Instagram's native editing options aren't cutting it, there are always other apps. Jade uses VSCO, a tried-and-true favorite in the preset filter department. Jade also recommends Filmborn, an app designed to emulate film photography (in fact, each Filmborn preset filter is tied to an actual film stock). "[Filmborn] is a little less intuitive," she says, but the filters are worth any snafus you might have with the user experience.

Your photos are backlit.

Photos lit from behind aren't always a bad thing (in fact, they are often beautiful), but they can be more difficult to pull off — and even harder to edit — if all you have is your phone.

If you take a photo that would look better if it wasn't cursed by poor lighting, Jade recommends using your editing app of choice to increase the picture's exposure, then decreasing the contrast. If you're on the Instagram app, she suggests navigating to the Tones tab, then turning up the shadows. This will generally "help lighten up darker photos," she says.

You need to adjust your focus.

Ever wonder how people take even remotely good iPhone photos at concerts? (We have. All of ours look like blurry, backlit blobs.) Your issue might be where you're focusing your camera.

"At darker concerts, I usually try to click to focus my phone camera on the musician or band, or try to click to focus a little above the band to gather more lighting," Jade explains. "Focusing your phone camera on the lights above the band on stage can [help] your phone focus on more light."

You're over-saturating.

Bright colors are great, but a lot of people (again, hello) habitually crank up the saturation on their photos to the point that they look, shall we say, corny. "This seems a little subjective, because some people really love bright colored images," Jade says. "But I can really appreciate when color is done well."

To avoid the over-edited look, she recommends experimenting with the warm and cold tones of the image. (You can do this right on on the Instagram app.) Lowering the image's contrast can also help it look more even, she says.

Of course, these aren't hard-and-fast rules — just suggestions. Instagram can be anxiety-inducing! If it will serve you better to make your feed 100 percent zoomed-in, black-and-white photos of your dog's velvety ears, please do. That's certainly a consistent theme.

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